Community Serches For Answer To Youth Violence In Nashville

People gathered at the Kingdom Cafe Friday tonight to talk about how they've been affected by youth violence and looked for concrete solutions to stop future teen killings.

Copyright 2017 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - People gathered at the Kingdom Cafe Friday tonight to talk about how they've been affected by youth violence and looked for concrete solutions to stop future teen killings.

Pastor Howard Jones put on the event. He encouraged teens not to be negative towards each other.

"There have been over 50 killings in this community. A couple have been my former students. We want to pull kids together and begin to pray and pursue peace," Jones said.

Jones, who mentors youth, knew 14-year-old Tirell Hill.

Hill was gunned down in the street near a Bordeaux neighborhood on June 9th.

"The killing of the 14-year-old did not happen at the Cayce Homes, it did not happen in the project area, it actually happened in an affluent neighborhood. So we have to collectively come together throughout the city and take charge because we can turn it around," Jones said.

For some survival victims, they said finding those solutions to stop the teen violence is not easy.

The latest victim killed was 18-year-old Ahmad Osborne.

Osborne died Thursday afternoon after a drug deal led to his shooting and killing at the Glastonbury Woods Apartments on Glastonbury Road near the Nashville International Airport.

Rose Anderson said Osborne was her nephew.

"I'm looking at the news yesterday and I had no idea that the person was even related to me. I didn't know it was him until about 11 o'clock last night but it still hurts just the same," she said.

Rachel Hogan grew up in Nashville. She said the killings are getting out of hand.

"If you look in the mirror and look at yourself and love yourself you can't pick up a gun and kill somebody," Hogan said.

Attendees hope finding a solution no matter how small can change one person.

The group plans to meet next month to talk about having a peace rally in Nashville.

Copyright 2017 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.